Whatever Happened to Mary Ann?
by EveningInHornersCorners
Summary: It's October 1968. Mary Ann has gone missing and the rest of the castaways are concerned. Little do they know of the secret she's hidden all these years.
1. Chapter 1

"Ginger, do you know where Mary Ann is?" the Professor asked as he passed the redheaded movie star doing the breakfast dishes.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"I found a notebook down where she does her laundry and figured it was personal. So I decided to give it to her directly." the scientist answered with a slight frown.

"No, I haven't seen her since breakfast. I hope she gets back soon. I know I can't manage cooking lunch by myself."

The Professor nodded knowingly. "Well, I'll be getting along," he said.

He decided to take the scenic path down to the lagoon and ask the Skipper and Gilligan. But he hardly noticed the scenery. He felt a bit uneasy, as if something were about to happen.

"No, she hasn't been down here at all," the Skipper answered when the Professor questioned him. He turned to the first mate, who was reeling in a fish. "Gilligan, when did you last see Mary Ann?"

"This morning at breakfast." the first mate replied without looking up from his task.

"Ginger hasn't seen her since then, either," the teacher sighed.

"What about the Howells?" the Skipper inquired as he slipped another piece of bait onto his fishhook. "That's right, I haven't asked them! Thanks!" the Professor exclaimed, breaking into a run towards the huts.

A few minutes later he found himself walking disappointedly away from their hut. He sat down at the communal table. Neither Howell had seen the brunette since breakfast, and it was now almost time for lunch. Surely she'd show up and spare them Ginger's cooking. It would be cruelty to subject them to the horrors that came from the movie star's thoroughly distorted food preparation mind. Each second that ticked by on his watch seemed to take a minute in itself.

"Professor!" Ginger cried, running toward him and jerking him out of his train of thought. He was on his feet in an instant.

"What's happened?"

"Oh, Professor!" she whispered. "I was just in our hut and…and…"

"And what?" he asked urgently.

The movie star was shivering and for a moment it seemed she was almost unable to continue.

"All of Mary Ann's things are gone!" she burst out before the tears began. "Oh Professor, she's gone! Gone for good!"


	2. Chapter 2

Mary Ann plodded through the woods, hoping she'd reach the other side of the island soon. Surely she could find an out-of-the-way cave to live out the rest of her days in. After all, she was carrying everything she needed and the Professor had inadvertently taught her which plants were safe to eat.

All she needed was to be away from people, especially Ginger. She loved the movie star like a sister, but every time she looked at her roommate she got a sick, aching feeling because of Ginger's luck. She still got chills thinking about the conversation over breakfast that morning. Four years ago she would have rejoiced in that conversation, because that was before she'd been ruined. In looking around that table, she saw six faces of success, and one of failure. Hers.

Up until now Mary Ann had been able to manage the pain, but it had just completely flooded her that morning. So directly after breakfast she'd packed and slipped away unnoticed. Emptiness was the only evidence of her escape, for she hadn't even left a note. Hopefully they wouldn't come looking for her, or if they did she'd be hidden well enough so they wouldn't find her.

She wouldn't have left that morning if she'd been with a different group of people, if they weren't all so amazing, each in their own way. The Professor was smarter than a flock of Einsteins. The Howells were richer than J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie combined. The Skipper knew virtually everything about the sea, and Gilligan was not only right on his heels in that respect, but the first mate was also the person who held everyone else together. Then there was Ginger. Well, she wasn't only beautiful, but talented. And it all hurt.

_Because once I was spectacular… _


	3. Chapter 3

So far Ginger had told only the Professor of Mary Ann's things being gone, and by the time she was through crying was too upset to do anything but touch up her make-up. So he took it upon himself to inform each castaway, and asked them all to convene at the eating table at 12:30 to discuss their plan of action.

At the appointed hour they had all appeared and the Professor called the meeting to order.

"I believe I told you all about the disappearance of Mary Ann's person and belongings, and obviously she isn't here. So…" At this point Ginger let out a low moan, but the Professor continued, "Therefore, we must come to the conclusion that Mary Ann has left our camp for some reason. Can any of you think of something we might have done to upset her that had such a great effect on her that she would be compelled to abandon us?"

The castaways were all silent.

"Well there must have been _something _we did." The Professor said thoughtfully. "Let's try to recall anything we may have said or done to even remotely offend her this past week."

"I…I insulted her on the way she cleaned our hut yesterday." Mrs. Howell admitted. "You see, she neglected to dust our safe. I had a few choice words with her and she ran out crying."

"Lovey!" her husband cried.

"Well _you _threatened to not invite her to our next island cotillion if she wasn't more careful with our laundry!"

"And you…"

"Mr. Howell, Mrs. Howell, please!" the Professor interrupted. "I doubt either of those things were the cause of her sudden departure, but it's a good start. What about you, Gilligan?" He looked across the table at the first mate.

"I uh, um, accidentally wrapped her in a fish net the other day." he replied sheepishly.

"Hmm…" the scientist said, not even wanting to know how _that _happened_. _"Ginger?" He turned to her.

The redhead just stared into space. "Ginger?"

"Oh… yes?" the movie star answered vaguely.

"Have _you_ done anything to upset Mary Ann recently?"

"Oh. We had a little tiff last night. Nothing important."

"Well, if it's unimportant, what was it about?" "Nothing."

"Gee whiz, Ginger, how can you have a fight over nothing?" Gilligan piped up.

"_GILLIGAN!_" the Skipper shouted.

"What was it about?" the Professor asked again.

"Nothing!" To say she looked uncomfortable was an understatement. Deciding not to press her, he moved on.

"Okay. Skipper?"

"Well, I made a comment about her fish a few nights ago that I probably shouldn't have. I said it uh… tasted more like bacon than anything else. I'm sure she took offense. What about you, Professor?"

"Well, I um, uh, you see…"

"Blurt it out, Professor. We all told our faults." Ginger said bitterly. While Roy would have liked to point out that she had been very vague in her the description of her "fault" he didn't. Perhaps she had good reason.

"Well, I wouldn't let her borrow a book about…chess." His fellow castaways didn't seem the least bit surprised, for they knew very well that he'd hated parting with his beloved books ever since _101 Scientific Experiments for the Former Simpleton _had been dropped in the lagoon by mistake.

"Should we organize a search party?" Mr. Howell asked.

"An _excellent _idea, Mr. Howell."


	4. Chapter 4

Mary Ann had been trudging through the jungle for five straight hours and had no intention of stopping until she found a suitable cave. She'd passed many, but they had been much too close to camp, and that increased the chance that the others might find her if they sent out a search party. She'd hoped and prayed that they hadn't, but there was nothing like an extra security precaution or two. When she'd set out that morning, she swore that she'd never face them again, and she intended to keep that promise to herself.

She was glad she'd dressed in green so she could blend in with the leaves and not be noticed. Here, out alone in the jungle, she felt at one with the plants and animals. The memories didn't plague her to no end, in fact, away from their small society on the island, Mary Ann was completely at peace.

As she took in the beauty of the island's plant life, her joy was more greatly elevated when she found the perfect cave to set up housekeeping in. It was very out-of-the-way and in fact was concealed by a curtain of foliage. She lifted this curtain rather gingerly, fearing it was flimsy and weak, but discovered it was actually quite substantial and would easily hold up with constant use.

Once inside the cave she immediately set to work, making it as homey as possible. Though hadn't brought her cot because it would be too difficult to carry, the girl had take the precaution of toting along several blankets that she could stack into a mattress. Mary Ann didn't intend to cook much at all due to the fact that it might give her fellow castaways a hint as to her whereabouts, so instead she brought baskets to collect fruit in and a canteen for water. Luckily she had also located a fresh-water stream nearby.

She placed her suitcase near the back of the cave along with her lantern, which she hoped would shed sufficient light, and kept some flint nearby to relight it.

But the best part about the cave was the "skylight." It was above where she'd stored her things and gave enough light to brighten the cave immensely, at least during the day, but not so much that the hole was noticeable from the outside.

When she finished her renovations, she lay back on her make-shift bed. _Here _maybe she could recover from the past. _Here _she might be able to sleep without nightmares of that time. Perhaps this was the place where she'd forget the pain and suffering of not only her body but her mind before she'd been stranded on this island…


	5. Chapter 5

"Mary Ann!" Mr. Howell called. His search party idea had been taken up immediately, and the group had split into sets of two: the Howells, the Skipper and Gilligan, and the Professor and Ginger. The millionaires hadn't had any luck and were very anxious, for they loved the girl as their own. It pained them to think that anything might have happened to her.

"Let's stop for a moment and rest, dear." Mrs. Howell panted.

"Of course. But we mustn't be long. Mary Ann has to be found."

"But Thurston, where else is there to look? We've already checked three caves."

"How right you are! We've done enough work for one day. This tramping about is wrinkling my money!" he exclaimed, removing a pack of bills from his wallet to show evidence of his previous statement. The couple started back to camp.

"Gilligan, if you were Mary Ann, where would you hide?" the Skipper asked his first mate.

"Um, in a cave where I thought no one would find me."

"Well there are plenty of those around here." the Skipper sighed. They'd been trudging around the vast jungle for several hours without nourishment, though the latter was by choice because it was an unwritten rule on the island to never eat Ginger's lethal cooking. The movie star was well aware she burned everything, so she laughed it off, but everyone secretly longed for one of Mary Ann's masterfully cooked dishes.

"Well, Skipper, the only way to find out is to look." Gilligan said matter-of-factly.

"How right you are, little buddy!" he replied with sudden enthusiasm. "Mary Ann will have probably hidden in one of the more out of the way caves. Let's get started, Gilligan!"

"You know, I was in a movie like this once, Professor." Ginger stated suddenly. "It was called "_The Search for and the Unexplained Story of the Suicide of the Lost and Attacked Secretary of Nova Scotia._"

"Really? What similarities did it have to this situation?"

"Well, this secretary from Nova Scotia went on a cruise, jumped overboard, and swam to a nearby island. A few weeks later they sent out a search party for her and she was impossible to find. Then, the day before the people were going to abandon their search, they found that she'd been attacked by something and thrown herself in the water as a means of suicide."

"Ginger, are you suggesting…?"

"No! I'd never tempt fate like that!" the girl cried defensively.

"Well, enough about movies." The Professor changed the subject quickly. "Why don't we look a little nearer to the lagoon? She may have wished to use it for recreation purposes when we weren't around."


	6. Chapter 6

Mary Ann had just finished collecting a few grapefruits and was happily scooping the fruit out of one. This was just the therapy she needed, the joy of solitude; never having to look into the eye of someone more successful than herself and being caused severe pain in the process. Never having minded being alone, Mary Ann was a great believer that the most portable form of entertainment was the thought.

Her cave was lovely, the food was abundant, and a stream was nearby. Truthfully there was nothing to complain about. Mary Ann was grateful that she'd found quiet conditions, so she could live out the rest of her life in perfect peace, completely alone.

The way she wished things had been after _it _happened.

So far she'd enjoyed living this way, even if it had only been for an afternoon. No, she'd surely never need or want to face humanity again. Everything she could ask for was here. Companionship wasn't on that list.

Mary Ann found herself smiling. If only she'd had something like this three years ago, six months before they'd been stranded, instead of now. It could have helped her a great deal more, but, then again, there was absolutely no reason to take it for granted now. She should be grateful that she'd be able to heal completely.

Well, not completely.

An ember of that pain would always glow within her, not matter how many ashes she tried to throw over it. After all, it was the only fragment she had left of her crushed dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

Dinner that night was a quiet affair. The Professor could tell from the looks on the others' faces that they'd been no more successful than he and Ginger. No one seemed to feel like eating; they all just fiddled with their orange peels. Roy was sure the same questions he kept asking himself were echoing in the others' minds, too. _Why did she leave? What did we do to offend her? Couldn't she have explained? Why didn't she leave a note? Will she ever come back? _They just wouldn't leave him alone. Each of the six knew very well that Mary Ann was essential to their system. Each in their own way, they needed her.

Ginger could not rid herself of the guilt she felt over Mary Ann's disappearance. Each breath found her deeper and deeper in the quicksand of pain. She'd never forgive herself! At the time she'd thought their little fight over who the Professor liked better hadn't been of anything significance. Now it hung over the movie star like a cloud that would never cease to block the sun. Mary Ann had left the Professor to her, but she couldn't enjoy his company.

Mrs. Howell felt just a little bad about abandoning their search so early on. Perhaps they could have found the girl if they hadn't given up. Should they admit it, that they'd searched three caves, gone back, and had martinis? Somehow it all seemed so wrong…

Her husband was fingering the money in his pocket. Perhaps if he offered a reward for finding Mary Ann, it would spur the others on. $50,000 would probably do the trick…

The Skipper was mentally slapping himself. If only he hadn't been so stupid as to strand them all on this island! In that case Mary Ann would never have gone missing. Oh, from the very root of this problem, it was his fault. Why? Why?

Gilligan peeled his orange mindlessly. Maybe if he could find Mary Ann, he could lend her the sign he'd used when he disappeared, the one that said "No Body Iz Hom." It was worth a shot, anyway. But then he still had to find her…


	8. Chapter 8

Mary Ann woke with a start the next morning. At first she could figure out why, but then it hit her. This was the first night since _it _happened that she hadn't either cried herself to sleep or had horrible nightmares. The change of scenery, of lifestyle, was already beginning to work!

After dressing she cut one of the grapefruits she'd gathered the previous afternoon and thoughtfully began eating it. After breakfast she'd search for some other edible plants. As much as she liked grapefruit, she wouldn't want to live off of it for the rest of her life.

After straightening things up in her cave, she took a basket and went out exploring. She'd have to get used to the new scenery if she were ever going to get along. Soon she discovered yet another fresh water stream which was near a grove of mint that she picked a generous helping of. The terrain wasn't so different from the other side of the island. There was even a lagoon, so if she wanted to go swimming it wasn't necessary to risk running into her fellow castaways.

By noon her basket was filled with enough plants so that she wouldn't have to even touch grapefruit for the next month if she didn't want to. Deciding to stop for lunch, she sat down near the newly discovered stream, dug into her basket, and washed the plants. After eating, she headed back to the cave to get into her swimsuit. She'd test out the lagoon's water.

Her swimming absorbed all of her attention, so she didn't notice the dark clouds scudding across the sky.


	9. Chapter 9

The Professor slept very little, and was glad when the first crack of light shone through his window. He dressed quickly and stepped outside. He planned to dedicate the entire day to searching for Mary Ann. "You couldn't sleep, either?" a silvery voice chimed.

Ginger stepped out of the shadow of a palm tree. "I was tossing and turning last night because I feel so…guilty. I just know it was the argument I had with Mary Ann that drove her away. Oh, if only I could apologize!"

The Professor was about to echo a similar sentiment about his book on chess when, just then, Gilligan stepped out of his hut. "Oh, hi Ginger. Hi, Professor. Having trouble sleeping?"

"Yes, Gilligan," the Professor replied.

"Me too. I just keep remembering the look on Mary Ann's face when she got tangled up in that fishnet. You see…"

"Please don't elaborate, Gilligan."

"But I wasn't going to; I was only going to tell you how it happened. You see…"

"That's what I meant, Gilligan."

"Well, I see I'm not the only one who couldn't sleep." the Skipper said as he stepped out of his hut. "By George, if we find her I'll never say her fish tastes like bacon again!"

"And I'll never complain if she doesn't dust our safe." Mrs. Howell declared as she stepped from her hut, her husband right on her heels, saying he didn't care about the laundry if they could manage to find her.

"Well, since obviously none of us could sleep, I propose we begin searching for Mary Ann again." the Professor announced. Everyone quickly complied, and Lovey secretly swore that she and her husband would search just as long, if not longer, that the other two groups. It was the least they could do to make up for being so lazy yesterday.


	10. Chapter 10

At long last, Mary Ann climbed out of the lagoon. She'd had a lovely swim. She'd actually considered taking up swimming as a sport, but she knew it could never replace her first recreational love. The love she'd lost what seemed like so long ago. But then, three years wasn't such a long time.

Then she saw the sky. Gray, almost black clouds had clustered above her. She broke into a run back to her cave. Then the heavens opened up and the rain started coming down in sheets. Lightning flashed in the distance, the thunder rang in her ears. No, she'd never make it back to the cave. The others' camp was closer. Mary Ann switched direction quickly, willing her feet to carry her faster. Not taking time to notice anything around her, she sped through the jungle, where the canopy protected her somewhat, but not enough to keep her from shivering with cold from the buckets of rain falling upon her.

Every moment she prayed that she might make it through the storm unharmed, but her hope was waning. Fear took over her mind; she no longer cared if the others reminded her of that time, of her failure. She'd agree to any amount of pain to be back at that camp. Several times she fell flat on her face, only to pick herself up and keep going. She kept thinking, _It can't be too far! If I just keep going_ _I'll get there! I'll be fine! _

For every inch she ran camp seemed to get six inches farther away. But it was too late to turn back. How she longed for a blanket or something to keep her warmer. Her teeth were already chattering like castanets.

Finally the hut clearing came into view from the edge of the jungle. Mary Ann sighed with relief, sending up a prayer of gratitude. The rain was pouring harder than ever. She tripped on a root and fell downwards. She collapsed in a heap before everything went black. 


	11. Chapter 11

"But, Lovey!" Mr. Howell whined.

"Thurston, you've already stalled for nine hours. It's not going to work anymore! As soon as the rain stops, we're going to look for her more thoroughly! Remember you're a Howell, and part of being a Howell is respect for others. Don't you remember telling Gilligan that?"

"But I assure you; I said that just to keep his actions from disgracing the family name! Really, Lovey, you can't expect me to search just like those regular citizens!"

"Thurston, if you don't go out and search, I'll tell the others about that time when we were first married when you…"

"Alright, alright! Resorting to blackmail! Really, Lovey!"

###

The rain had finally ceased, and the Skipper was eager to get back out.

"Come on, Gilligan! Let's start searching again!"

"But we haven't had lunch!"

"That was because Ginger said she'd be kind enough to stay away from our food supply so we wouldn't all become too ill to look for Mary Ann."

"But Skipper, we've already checked every cave on this side of the island. Where else could she hide?"

"On the other side of the island, Gilligan. Of course! Why didn't we think of that before?"

"Skipper…"

"I won't hear any complaining, Gilligan."

"But we've been searching for nearly nine hours!"

"Gilligan, you care about Mary Ann, don't you?"

"Yes!"

"Well, then get a move on!"

###

"Oh, Professor, I'm just about ready to give up!" Ginger cried.

"I thought you felt guilty that Mary Ann disappeared."

"Oh, I do. But she'll never forgive me anyway."

"What was this fight you had with Mary Ann about?"

"I really shouldn't tell you."

"Ginger, I'm all ears."

"Well, you see…" Ginger suddenly gasped and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Ginger, what's wrong?" the Professor asked urgently.

The movie star couldn't speak, only point. Following her finger he saw what had taken her breath away.

There, at the edge of the jungle, lay Mary Ann.


	12. Chapter 12

When Mary Ann woke up, she was lying down, certainly not in her makeshift bed at the cave but on something more like a cot. She was seeing double and everything was blurry, not to mention that she had a splitting headache. Someone was by her bedside, but she couldn't quite make out who it was. They had their back to her and Mary Ann could hear sobs. She recognized them as Ginger's.

Oh, how she longed to say something of comfort to her roommate. But even swallowing was a trial, and, in any case, Mary Ann didn't know what was bothering her.

The hut door quietly opened, and the Professor's voice spoke to Ginger.

"Ginger, we have no way of knowing who was at fault. Stop blaming yourself. Even if it was that fight you had with her you've already been punished enough."

But she was not to be consoled.

"Professor, she might have died! And I would have been the killer! The fight we had, it was over… a man. That was why she left. It wasn't over a book about chess or a comment on her fish or anything like that. All the things you guys confessed were…minor compared to my offense! I almost killed her because of a dumb fight! Now I can never face her again!"

She could barely make out the movie star crying into his shirt, crying for the life of her, and all the while he soothed her gently. The brunette's eyes closed slowly, the picture imprinted on them.

_What have I done? Have I really brought so much pain and suffering to my best friend? To all of my friends? They think it's their fault I ran away! Oh my! _

The blinding pain, the crushing truth, the crying and the nightmares. It had all come back over her in a wave. By running away she'd tried to blot it out. But some memories never die; they just keep chiseling away at your heart forever.


	13. Chapter 13

"How is she, Professor?" the Skipper asked anxiously when the younger man stepped out of the girls' hut.

"Mary Ann or Ginger?"

"Mary Ann, of course." the Skipper replied.

"Her fever's still high, but she's stopped shivering. Until she becomes conscious we can't tell much else."

"Why did you ask whether I wanted to know about Ginger or Mary Ann? This is a fine time to be cracking jokes, Professor."

The teacher lowered his voice. "Because as of now, Ginger happens to be a nervous wreck. She's convinced that she almost killed Mary Ann because of a little fight they had. She finally broke down and told me it was about a man."

"A man? Why that could only be you, Gilligan, or, _me_."

"Anyway, if it was so minor, I don't see what's convinced Ginger that it was the cause of Mary Ann's sudden departure." the scientist said as he set his thermometer down on the communal table.

Terror had been ringing through the camp for the past few hours. Mary Ann had been evidently become quite ill. Though they had no way of knowing how long she'd being lying out in the elements in nothing but a swimsuit, it truthfully didn't matter. Her fever and violent shaking indicated that she'd been thoroughly chilled and required immediate attention. Everyone had been cooperative, but he could see that they were all extremely worried. Especially Ginger. Because she hadn't even applied rouge, it was easy to see that the blood had gone out of her face. She cried constantly and none of them of could console her. He'd have to get someone to relieve her tonight.

###

Ginger knew, eventually, she'd have to turn around and look at Mary Ann. But she just couldn't muster the strength. She'd never had a fight with _anyone _that had complications like these.

_You've really done it, haven't you Ginger? Honestly. How did you get into this mess? _

"Ginger?" she heard Gilligan call.

She couldn't let him see her like this! Quickly the movie star pulled out a handkerchief and began mopping up her tears.

"Ginger?" he called again.

She quickly went to the door of the hut and opened it.

"Shh! Mary Ann's sleeping!"

"The Skipper sent me to relieve you."

"No, Gilligan, I'm doing fine. Tell the Skipper I'll come out when I need relief."

"Well, okay." he answered nonchalantly.

Ginger sat back down on her chair. Then, she turned and looked at her friend.


	14. Chapter 14

When Mary Ann's eyelids fluttered open a second time, the headache was gone and her vision was as clear as it had always been. Ginger was still by her side, but this time she was facing her, if not looking directly at her.

Her throat no longer hurt, at least not to the extent that it had previously. So she asked quietly, "Ginger, how long have I been asleep?"

Ginger's glittering green eyes met her own and took on a glow like she'd never seen before.

"About two days. Oh, Mary Ann! I'm so sorry! I didn't know you took our fight so hard! At least not enough to make you run away! Oh…"

"Ginger, that's not why I ran away. It wasn't anything you guys did. I mean, naturally I did get a little jealous when you went off alone with the Professor, but that's not why I left."

The movie star looked immensely relieved.

"But, why? We were all so busy blaming ourselves, and when the Professor and I found you… Oh, we thought for the first day you might not make it. You scared half to death."

Mary Ann smiled weakly. "I probably should explain, shouldn't I? Very well. Bring everyone in here and I'll start from the beginning."


	15. Chapter 15

Ginger had the others assembled around Mary Ann's bed in seemingly no time at all. Evidently they were all eager to hear why she'd left the safety of their small community.

"So, why Mary Ann?" Gilligan asked.

"I had to escape the pain." she began. "If I looked at any one of you, it just killed me, because you're all so extraordinary. I don't think it would have bothered me, only… I used to be that way."

"But Mary Ann, you're still…" the Professor started to say before Mary Ann cut him off.

"No. Not like I used to be." She paused for a moment, wondering if she should continue.

"I came from a farm, but working it wasn't my passion. I started taking gymnastics when I was eleven. And the moment that class began, I knew I'd been called home."

"But what…?" Ginger asked in confusion.

"I'm getting to that. So you see, I almost completely forgot the farm, only regarded it as a roof over my head. Gymnastics and school became my life. I managed to maintain straight A's."

"And…" Mr. Howell prompted.

"Stay at the top of my gymnastics class. I watched the 1964 Olympics in awe. Then my teacher told me I was sure to make the next Olympics, and she definitely wasn't type to hand out compliments unless they were from the bottom of her heart. Not only that, but she was kind of an expert in the sport, so she knew what she was talking about. After that I worked much harder, hoping it could become a reality."

She swallowed hard because the next part meant the most.

"Then, about six months before we were shipwrecked, I was in a competition. The competition that changed me forever." Her voice broke.

"How?" the Skipper asked. The suspense was building.

"I was injured. Critically. I don't even recall how it happened, just the blinding pain. Then I lost consciousness."

For a moment she didn't want to go on, to relive everything she'd just said and was about to say. But when she saw their faces, full of curiosity and laced with concern, she knew she must.

"No one ever made it clear to me what I hurt. I just remember throbbing and aching all over. But that was nothing compared to what I was told a few days later."

"What was that?" the Professor asked quickly.

"That after such a severe injury, I would never be able to do gymnastics again."

Mary Ann's words hung in the air, silently echoing over and over.

She continued, "I had just started feeling a little better. Then the other morning at breakfast, you were all talking nonstop about the Olympics. The Olympics I might have been in. When I looked around that table, I realized that each one of you was a success and I was a failure. Then I just got hit with a wave of pain, worse than any I'd ever experienced after that injury. I'd actually completely forgotten it was an Olympic year, until you guys began talking about it." Tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

The other looked at each other and then rose to leave, but Mary Ann held up her hand.

"Wait. I have a little more to say."

They relaxed back into their former positions and looked at her expectantly.

"I used to be someone, like each of you. But now I'm a… nobody. So you see I had to run, or the pain would have engulfed me completely; everything I'd do, I'd do in the name of agony. I thought it would be impossible to live among you, so I impulsively left and resorted to solitude. The memories were jus t too strong, and I had to recover. _That _will probably take a lifetime."

_**Note: For all of you who were waiting with bated breath to hear what was bothering her, I hope this wasn't too disappointing.**_


	16. Chapter 16

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Teobi, who gave me the idea.**

Everyone was shocked by Mary Ann's confession. They never would have guessed the secret she'd been hiding, and the memory of it paining her so much that she'd felt the need to run away.

_It's just not right!_ Gilligan thought. _She _is_ a success. It wasn't her fault that she got hurt. If only we could make her see that._ Then Gilligan got an idea.

"Guys, I think we've excited Mary Ann a little too much today. Why don't we leave now?" He said. Mary Ann shot him a grateful look.

"I wouldn't mind being alone. It wasn't easy to confess everything. I've gotten so used to bottling myself up." Mary Ann lay back on the hand-stitched pillows and sighed.

After they were a good distance away from the hut, the Skipper asked, "Why the big rush to get us out of there, Gilligan?"

"I had an idea. Ginger, remember when you were down about that play and so we put one on to cheer you up?" The movie star nodded.  
"And Skipper, when you thought it was your fault that the _Minnow _was shipwrecked?"

"Yeah, but what has that got to do with Mary Ann?"

"So, how about we have an island Olympics?"

"Gilligan, you're always coming up with such stupid ideas!" the Skipper snapped.

"No that's a wonderful idea, Gilligan!" the Professor exclaimed. "Events that Mary Ann _can _do may bring her out of the ocean of pain she's swimming through right now."

"But, what events? There's only so much you can do on an island." The Skipper pointed out.

"Vine swinging!" Gilligan piped up.

"How uncouth!" Mrs. Howell gasped.

"But still, the right idea, Gilligan! I suggest that we collaborate on a list of events and then we can build the equipment." The Professor said enthusiastically.

"Let's get cracking, then." The Skipper suggested.


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: Does anyone have any ideas for Island Olympics events? I have two or three in mind but I'm not telling ***snickers***.**_

_**But anyway, if you do have suggestions, feel free to PM me or tell me in a review and though I can't guarantee that I'll use all of them, I will consider any that you send me. **_

"But Professor, I feel fine!" Mary Ann protested.

"Mary Ann, bed rest is the best thing when you've been lying out in the cold for who knows how long in such skimpy attire." He said firmly, beginning to pack up his bamboo medical equipment.

"But that was two weeks ago!"

"Side effects may be lurking under the surface."

"Professor, it was my understanding…" He silenced her with an icy glare.

"The moment I'm sure that you won't have a relapse, I'll let you out of bed. Until then…" he grandly left the hut.

Mary Ann had never been the suspicious type. But there was something about the way her fellow castaways had been acting lately. Like the whispered arguments she sometimes heard after dark when the others thought she was asleep. Something about the Olympics…

No wonder they did it when they did. She'd usually done a pretty good job of bottling herself up and not troubling them, but this…

She just hadn't been able to control herself because of those countless feelings rushing through her mind all at once. And it hadn't been her intent to cause them any inconvenience. That was why she'd run away. Why did they have to bring her back here? She never would have told them otherwise. It wasn't as though they needed _her_ problems as well as their own…

_Oh, I'm so stupid! _She thought angrily. _Why couldn't I just hide everything like I always have?_


End file.
